It’s bring your dog to work day next month: 7 tips to stay out of the doghouse with HR

It's bring your dog to work day on June 23rd

Published:06:00Sunday 14 May 2017

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Ahead of this year’s Bring Your Dog To Work Day - the event’s founders have published guidance for HR departments of the companies who want to take part.

Natural pet product company HOWND has devised ‘seven HR Guidelines’ after being asked for advice from a number of office-based organisations:

Written consent should be obtained from every office employee ahead of Bring Your Dog to Work Day.

An accurate record of all dogs in the workplace should be kept.

Each dog coming into the workplace should be kept on a leash while walking in the building, as well as outside, and should have an identity tag with the owner’s contact details.

Dogs must be clean and well-groomed ahead of their day at work.

Dogs should be well socialised i.e. good natured and comfortable around dogs and people.

Each participating employee should bring a ‘Dog Packed Lunch’ - including treats, toys, a lead, water bowl, and food.

Each participating employee should also bring appropriate bedding for their dog, i.e. dog basket, mat or rug. Just so the working day is as comfortable as possible!

But isn’t this event just a novelty for workplaces? It might seem that way, but the benefits of allowing people to bring their pets to work have been studied in some depth by Virginia Commonwealth University. The research showed an 11 per cent reduction in the stress levels of employees which is significant enough to turn the heads of dog owners and team motivators in a range of companies.

“The presence of pets can substantially reduce a person’s stress level in the workplace. Increased job satisfaction, team cooperation and morale have all been reported in employees that spend the workday with their pets,” explains Jo Amit, co-founder of HOWND.

Raising Money for Charity

Raising money for animal welfare and promoting the benefits of bringing dogs into safe work environments are both aims of the event founder HOWND.

Businesses that wish to take part can do so as ‘Business Sponsors’. Previous years saw a wide range of businesses from across many industries getting involved and this is only set to increase. Companies such as Scottish & Southern Electric, Private Fly, Shore Capital, Henry Schein, as well as a host of UK pet businesses have all sponsored in the past.

The two official charities for 2017 are All Dogs Matter, which rescues and rehomes hundreds of dogs each year in the UK and Animals Asia, a charity foundation that saves dogs and cats from the corrupt meat trade in China and Vietnam.

If you own or run a business, you can participate by making an online donation to become a business sponsor. In return for a minimum donation of £50, your company’s logo and website link will be displayed on the Bring Your Dog to Work Day website homepage. All the money raised will be split equally between All Dogs Matter and Animals Asia.

Individuals can also make a donation whether they take their dogs to work or not. For a minimum online donation of £2, a picture of a person’s dog can be published in the ‘Dog With A Job Hall Of Fame’. Individuals that donate £5 or more online will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win £100s of goodies from our business sponsors.

Past Success

Bring Your Dog To Work Day has become a recognised calendar event.

This has led to the initiative claiming bronze and silver ‘Marketing Campaign of the Year’ accolades at the annual PetQuip Awards.

“We’ve enjoyed incredible results on a shoestring budget. The day has been featured on national television and been the focus of a number of radio talking points around the country,” adds Jo.

Celebrities have got involved too, with the likes of Ricky Gervais and ITV’s Loose Women tweeting their support. This has helped the #BringYourDogToWorkDay hashtag trend on Twitter in both 2015 and 2016.

Be in a movie

Participants in this year’s Bring Your Dog To Work Day will also have the opportunity to contribute to its first official movie.

Through an award-winning app called Seenit Capture, those who take part can join the BYD2017 project, before recording and uploading clips of their dogs at work. These clips will be used to create a short film.

Bring your dog to work day takes place on June 23rd. For further information about Bring Your Dog To Work Day please visit the official website, or email hello@bringyourdogtoworkday.co.uk.

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